


Your Strong Disguise

by miraculouslycool



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Lila Rossi Bashing, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Post-Episode: s03 Miracle Queen (The Battle of the Miraculous Part 2), Sentimonster Adrien Agreste
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:20:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22919839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculouslycool/pseuds/miraculouslycool
Summary: When Lila pushes her hold on Adrien too far, he snaps, and in turn, the entire class turn on her like a pack of loyal wolves. When Marinette chooses to look out for Adrien instead of watching out for Lila, the liar gets akumatised into Guilt Tripper, a supervillain who weakens you by forcing you to remember your worst mistakes and regrets. And why is Chat Noir suddenly so..... aggressive towards Ladybug?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 51
Kudos: 902





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Твое убедительное притворство](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23546881) by [White_Kingfisher](https://archiveofourown.org/users/White_Kingfisher/pseuds/White_Kingfisher)



> Happens three months after Miracle Queen. Lukanette and Adrigami are not canon.

Marinette squealed as she skidded inside the school gates.

“Sorry, Mr. Harpele!” She called as she ran inside.

“No problem!” He called back kindly like he did almost everyday when she was late.

She shouldn’t have stayed up until three last night patrolling!

Well, she did get to spend a lot of time with Chat, and they did get a lot of hijinks of her new guardianship figured out together…..so maybe it wasn’t so bad- NO, FOCUS MARINETTE! she screamed in her head.

She didn’t know how it was possible to sigh in relief when she was panting for breath, but it seemed like she wasn’t that late. She could still hear the chattering of her classmates, meaning that Miss Bustier hadn’t arrived yet.

Marinette was too busy reveling in her relief she hadn’t noticed the crushed, empty can underneath her mobile feet.

“Woah!” Marinette yelped as she braced for the impact of the ground.

Instead, she felt herself being caught by a pair of strong arms and her face collided against someone’s chest instead.

“Marinette, are you okay?” Adrien Agreste’s concerned voice rang through her ears.

“Adrien?” Marinette looked up to see him looking at her worriedly.

“Oh, yeah, I-I’m fine!” She said nervously, stepping away a few paces.

“You sure? Nothing broken?”

“Nope! I’m good to go!” Marinette grinned.

Three months ago, she would have cringed at herself for saying something so simple to her crush, but right now, she was proud of herself for not vomiting her words anymore.

Three months ago, she had given up on her feelings for him, to let him and Kagami be happy together. Well, they lasted a good two weeks before deciding to call it quits and remain friends.

And thankfully that did nothing to impact hers and Kagami’s friendship either. Adrien and Kagami were a bit awkward for a week, but soon enough that melted away and they were incredibly close.

And Marinette was grateful and surprised that that didn’t bother her. In fact, Adrien and her had gotten a lot closer the past few months.

Don’t get her wrong, a part of her would always love Adrien, but that tempting, irresistable urge to absolutely be in a romantic relationship with him was no longer there.

And spending more time with a certain black cat with green eyes did help….

“Marinette?”

Adrien’s voice made her realise she had been spacing out. Again.

“Oh no. Don’t tell me I did it again.” She groaned. “How long did I zone out this time?”

“Three minutes?” Adrien giggled.

“And you were just watching as I stared off into nothing?” Marinette said crossly.

“Well….you gotta admit.” He said, leading her over to the steps. “Waiting till you realise that you were spaced out is quite entertaining. Atleast you didn’t jump into the air this time.”

Marinette groaned. Sometimes Adrien was worse than her kitty. “It was one time! Will you and Alya never let it go?”

“Alya threatened me not to.” He admitted guiltily.

“Of course she did.” Marinette sighed as she climbed up the stairs. “So, how come you are arriving at the same time I am? Aren’t you the one with the perfectly managed schedule?”

For some reason, Adrien looked nervous. “Uh, you know. I was up all night doing homework. I was so busy with that fencing tournament that I was behind on all my schoolwork.”

“Oh right, the one our entire class went to!” Marinette said excitedly. Kagami had gotten off on the right foot with their class, and everyone had cheered for her just as loudly as their did for Adrien. Well, everyone except for Lila who wasn’t there because of one of her ‘charity trips’ that everyone except Adrien and herself 'oohed’ and 'aahed’ over.

When they entered the classroom, Alix and Kim were having a paper ball war and Max was keeping score. Most of the students were laughing or cheering them on.

Nino was in Marinette’s place and was excitedly talking to Alya.

“Hey, you two!” Alya waved, and sent a smug look towards Marinette who quickly glared at her.

“You don’t mind if I sit here until Miss Bustier gets here, do you dudette?” Nino asked Marinette who smiled and shook her head. “Not at all, Nino! I’ll just sit next to Adrien until then.”

The minute they had taken their seats, Alya began, “So, I was thinking, the four of us have a movie night this Friday. It’s been so long since the four of us hung out.”

“I’m totally on board as long as there are no horror movies.” Marinette said.

“You got it, girl. Nino managed to convince me out of that one.”

“Wait, am I hearing this right?” Adrien asked in disbelief. “NINO managed to convince Alya out of something?”

“I’m still in shock, to be honest with you bro.” Nino deadpanned.

“Oh, don’t rub it in.” Alya huffed as Adrien and Marinette laughed.

“What about you, Adrien?” Marinette asked. “Do you think you’ll be able to make it?”

“Uh…I think so, if I can stay at the top of my fencing, Chinese and basketball classes and practice my piano and ace my photoshoots.” He turned positively grumpier as he continued, and Marinette knew why.

“Well, it’s settled then.” Alya stated. “Since Adrien being able to be there is still on the rocks, I say that we choose a movie that he likes, so even if he is only able to be there on FaceTime, he’ll atleast get to see a movie he wants to watch.”

“That’s a great idea!” Marinette said.

“Yeah, thanks a lot, Alya.” Adrien grinned. “Although…. I’m not exactly a film buff?”

“Yeah, everytime we manage to get to hang all you wanna see is anime.” Nino said.

Adrien glared at him as Marinette giggled. Yet for some reason, he didn’t feel embarrassed in front of her at all.

“Well, do you have any favourite actors-” Marinette began but she was interrupted by a shrill voice.

“Oh my goodness, are you guys having a movie night?” Lila Rossi said excitedly.

Marinette wanted to use her dormant Ladybug strength to kick her off the Earth itself.

Adrien was much better at hiding his emotions, but even he couldn’t help but glare at her.

“Yeah we are, Lila.” Alya said. “This Friday.”

Marinette wanted to throttle her.

“That’s so awesome! I’m free this Friday too! Can I come too?”

Alya and Nino were friendly with her, but they looked incredibly uncomfortable.

Marinette took a deep breath. “But I thought you were going to that gala that’s honouring your mom in Rome this weekend!” She said innocently.

She wasn’t even lying. Lila had been bragging about it for a month. “You were saying how you were going to catch the plane on the 29th, that is this Friday.”

Adrien grinned at Marinette proudly. She was so awesome, she didn’t even need to raise her voice to get rid of her.

“Oh, um, yeah. I must have forgotten!” Lila said nervously. “My short term memory loss must be acting up again.”

“Sorry about that, dude.” Nino said kindly.

“Yeah, maybe some other time.” Alya said.

Adrien and Marinette shared a relieved look.

“So, as you were saying,” Marinette began, not even bothering to check if Lila had gone away or not. “Do you have any favourite actors? Maybe we could see one of their movies?”

Adrien thought. Nino was right, he didn’t really watch movies that much. And the only movie he watched intently with reverence was ….his mother’s.

He really didn’t want to bring up a depressing topic especially when his friends were in high spirits, so he said, “Emilie Graham De Vanily. She’s my favourite actress.”

Thankfully, none of them recognised the name.

“Huh, I’ve never heard of her before…” Nino said.

“She’s acted in some pretty rare movies, but those are some of the few I watch. You guys….. would be pretty bored by them so maybe it’s better if we choose something else.” He said apologetically.

“Are you sure?” Alya asked.

“Yeah! I don’t mind-”

“Wait, did you say Emilie Graham De Vanily?” Lila began with a laugh so fake it made his stomach retch. “I love her so much! She’s one of my oldest family friends!”

Adrien felt like he had been slapped in the face.

“Sorry, what did you say?” He asked quietly.

“Emilie Graham De Vanily, Adrien! I love her too! I’ve been to all her movie premieres, she’s my mom’s oldest friend, they went to grade school together! I can help you meet her if you want, she LOVES her fans.”

Marinette began irritatedly, “Oh, give me a break-” but Adrien put his hand on hers and stopped her.

He plastered on a smile. “That’s awesome, Lila! Do you think you could get me a meeting tomorrow? My whole week is so swamped, I think I could only make some free time for tomorrow.”

Lila blanched, but she held on. “I’ll see what I can do, Adrien, she’s a busy person-”

“You said she loved her fans. So she’ll obviously be happy to see me.” He said.

Alya, Nino and Marinette had gone quiet. The tension between them was skyrocketingly high.

“Well-”

“So look up when you can meet her.” He insisted.

“But I-”

“Look it up.” He gritted his teeth so forcefully the entire room went quiet.

Chloe who was talking on her phone turned to see him intently. Sabrina looked up from finishing Chloe’s homework. Max paused in the middle of marking Alix’s score. Alix dropped her ball. Kim was looking at the five of them in the middle of throwing his ball. Nathaniel didn’t look so sleepy anymore. Rose, Mylene and Juleka had their mouths wide open. Even IVAN looked shocked.

None of them had ever heard Adrien sound so furious.

“Adrien, why are you mad at me?” Lila began to sniff fake tears.

“I asked you to look her up. You do have your phone with you, right?” He said, glaring at her.

“Um, yes-” Lila hastened to search for her name.

“What does it say?” He said with an air of fake concern.

“She-she’s” Lila was trembling. “She’s Emilie Agreste.”

A collective gasp echoed through the room.

Adrien had stood up by now.

Marinette was outraged, but she couldn’t help but feel unsettled at Adrien’s anger.

“So when you manage to find a way to arrange a meeting with my mother who disappeared a year ago, let me know, will you?” He said, fisting his palms so tight he must have drawn blood.

“Adrien, I-”

“Oh, save it.” He snapped before storming out of the classroom.

“Adrien!” Marinette called out to him, but he didn’t turn back.

“WHAT THE HELL, LILA?!” Marinette roared, spinning around to face the liar. “How could you lie about something like this?!”

“How dare you upset my Adrikins, you bitch?” Chloe shrieked, throwing her phone on the table. “You are disgusting, utterly disgusting!”

“I never thought you would do something like this.” Nino wasn’t as externally angry as the girls, but he was incredibly upset. “Shame on you Lila.”

Alya was beside herself with rage. “How dare you?? What has Adrien done to you to deserve this?! What else have you lied about??”

“I wasn’t lying!” Lila blubbered. “He looked so down at yesterday’s photoshoot with me I wanted to make him happy! I didn’t know his favourite actress was his mom!”

“Yeah, Lila, you made him reeeaally happy. Congratulations.” Alix said sarcastically, but her eyes were blazing with fire.

Marinette wanted to stay and watch Lila beautifully ruin herself, but she didn’t want to leave Adrien alone at a time like this. She ran out of the classroom’s cacophony of loud accuses and tears to find him sitting at the bottom of the stairs, hugging his knees and burying his head in them.

Marinette felt her heart break. Adrien didn’t deserve this. Everyone knew he loved his mom dearly, but Marinette realised just how much only now.

Adrien was always kind to Lila, at least before he found out her lies were actually damaging to others. The fact that she would exploit this about him-

No, she couldn’t think about Lila now. Adrien needed a friend. And she was going to be one.

She slowly got down the stairs to not startle him.

“Hi, Marinette.” Adrien’s muffled voice startled her instead.

“H-hey.” She said. He still didn’t look up.

She sat down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I am so sorry.” She said sadly.

“Why?” He looked up. His eyes were red with unshed tears. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t ask her to lie about my mom.”

“No, it isn’t- but I should have recognised the name, I should have said something sooner-”

He laughed humorlessly, blinking away his tears. “Do you think she would have stopped? I had to let her go that far, even if it was hurtful. She needed to be taken down a peg.”

“Oh, Adrien.” Marinette said. “It’s okay if you want to cry. It’s just me.”

“I know it is. I….just don’t want to be akumatised.”

At that moment, Marinette hated Hawkmoth and everything he stood for. Nobody could even think of feeling bad or upset without giving into the fear of being used for evil. As long as he was around, being human was a luxury nobody could afford.

Marinette slung her hand around his arm and pulled herself closer. “I’ll keep a lookout for any akumas.” She promised.

Adrien looked at her like he was a blind man who was just granted sight. And maybe that was literally true, because his tears were blurring his vision.

Marinette laid her head on his shoulder and he nestled his on the top of hers, letting his tears trickle down his face.

What had he even done to deserve Marinette? He was a nobody compared to her. She was strong, smart, brave, outspoken and most importantly had so much love to give everyone. All he knew was to shrivel up and give in.

He knew since the beginning that she had a thing for Luka. Ever since the ice rink. And yeah, he knew that Luka was a good guy. He was gentle, kind and a great listener. Something anybody would want. Someone Marinette could be incredibly happy with.

He had no idea why he always felt weird about the idea of them together. For a moment, when he figured out that Marinette’s handwriting could have been the same one on his Valentine, his heart had leaped. Until it was reminded that there was someone else in her life. So he didn’t complain. He didn’t want to make the same mistake he made with Ladybug. Not with Marinette. Besides, he had Kagami, so he couldn’t complain.

How unlucky was he with love? First Ladybug had someone else, then Marinette, then Kagami and him didn’t work out.

Marinette and Luka lasted for an even shorter time than him and Kagami. In fact they were closer than ever as friends. And that made Adrien happy, and that in turn made him hate himself for being happy.

It wasn’t long before he realised he had feelings for Marinette, with the help of a gentle prod from Plagg (okay, he threatened that he would use Cataclysm on him if he didn’t realise the truth). And for some reason, that scared him.

That was completely new. When it came to his love for Ladybug, he threw himself completely into it. He never gave up on trying to win her affections, and her refusal of her feelings hadn’t stopped him either. So why was he so scared to tell Marinette the exact same thing all of a sudden?

Boom!

“Adrien Agreste!” A demonized voice shrieked from the recently bombarded classroom door.

“What was that?!” Marinette tumbled out of his arms as they got up.

Steadying her, Adrien looked up to see a levitating figure, clothed in loose robes of purple and had sashes flying out of her sleeves. Her long brown hair was loose and was billowing behind her like a train. Her skin was light purple but failed to match the red hot anger in her face.

“Lila?” Marinette gasped.

“You two!” She screeched. “You humiliated me! And you are going to suffer dearly for it!”

One of her sashes extended towards them, but Adrien pulled Marinette out of the way, running ahead of Lila.

She cackled. “Do you actually think you can outrun the Guilt Tripper?!”

“Adrien! Her sash is growing!” Marinette yelled from behind him.

Without wasting another second, Adrien paused to grab Marinette bridal style as he ran with her.

“What the-” Marinette squealed as she held on to his neck.

“Don’t worry, Marinette, I’ll get you to a safe place!” He said quickly as he ran towards the direction of the girls’ restrooms.

Marinette didn’t know if she was shaken by the Akuma or Adrien’s surprisingly large amounts of superhuman strength.

Setting her down in front of the door, he said, “Get inside before she catches up to you!”

“What? What about you?!” Marinette said forcefully.

Adrien reached behind her to open the door and gently shove her inside.

“It’s not you she’s after.” He said breathlessly. “You don’t need to get hurt unnecessarily.”

“Adrien are you insane?! You’re not going after her alone-”

“Lock the door from the inside.” He said before closing the door and running away to transform.

“Looks like I found the guilty party!” An evil laugh from behind him said.

Before he knew it, he was tightly wound by her sash and was being pulled towards her.

“Let me go!” He grunted, trying to pull away from her.

“After what you did to me?! You could have just let it be! Who was it harming?? Isn’t that the Adrien Agreste logic? Stand by and do nothing?”

Her words stung more than they should have.

Her eyes suddenly turned more purple than they already were, and before Adrien could do anything she aimed at his neck and fired.

Pain crept up through his veins, and then he was falling. Right into Ladybug’s arms.

“Sorry, looks like the real jury’s arrived, Lila.” Ladybug said smugly.

“I’m not Lila, I’m the Guilt Tripper!” She screamed before firing at Ladybug.

Ladybug expertly dodged her, and ran away with Adrien.

“Are you okay?!” She asked him.

“Yeah, I am fine, I managed to avoid the worst of her blast!” He said, panting for breath.

She ran out towards the stairs leading to the basement. “Do you think you can hide there?”

“Yes, thank you for saving me Ladybug.” He said as she put him down. “Is Marinette okay?” He asked anxiously.

“She was the one who told me where you were. I told her to lock herself in a bathroom stall.” She smiled.

Adrien sighed in relief. If Marinette got hurt because of him, he would never forgive himself.

“Stay out of danger, Adrien. And one more thing.” Ladybug said.

“Yes?”

“Don’t accept responsibility for something that is not your fault.” She said seriously before swinging away.

See you soon, Bugaboo. He thought as he ran down the stairs.

“Plagg, let’s go!” He opened up his overshirt.

“I was enjoying my cheese- Adrien, what’s that on your neck?!” Plagg yelped.

“Huh?” He looked down. He hadn’t even noticed that his neck was still throbbing with pain.

Now he was wearing a choker with a large purple pendant with a symbol of a mirror cracked right through the middle.

“Where did that come from?” He wondered, but then a sharp sting of pain creeped through his head.

“Aghhhh!” Adrien yelled, holding his head.

“Adrien! ADRIEN!” Plagg was screaming.

——-

“Everything is perfect, my dear Mayura.” Hawkmoth leered. “Lila Rossi has begun the first part of our plan. Now it is your turn.”

Mayura smiled bewitchingly at him before plucking a feather from her fan. Closing her fist around it, she filled it with amokised energy and merged it with a ballpoint pen.

Closing her eyes, she visualised her sentimonster. Blond, wild hair, vivid green eyes, tall and sturdy, black leather, and the final touch, his tail.

She opened her eyes to see a perfect image of Chat Noir in front of her.

“Chat Noir, you are Ladybug’s true love. You will stop at nothing until she returns your affections and becomes yours and yours alone. Are you ready?” She took his ringed hand and placed the pen on his outstretched palm.

He opened his eyes. Mayura beamed at her creation. He was perfect. He looked exactly like his real version, but the eyes that normally held mischief and tenderness now held a feral hunger for his prey, Ladybug.

“I was born ready, Mayura.” He smirked.


	2. Chapter 2

Ladybug was absolutely fed up.

Guilt Tripper’s sashes seemed to have an infinite life. Everytime she managed to get her hands on one of them and tear them, they would grow again from the band around her waist.

“Give up, Ladybug. You’d do a better job as a circus act than what you are pulling now.” She laughed, aiming at her with her eyes again.

Ladybug vaulted away from her range. Getting close to her was impossible.

She kept on running. This was not going to work, there had to be another way-

“Gah!” She yelped as she tripped over something and fell right into Chat Noir’s arms.

“Falling for me again, m'lady?” He smirked, dipping her.

Despite everything that was going on, Ladybug’s heart stopped. He called her m'lady. Something he hadn’t done in months, and it felt wonderful to hear it again.

“Good, you’re here, kitty.” She extricated herself from his arms. She had to keep her fleeting blushes in check. Now was not the time.

“As always!” He winked, and somehow Ladybug felt like he was dishing out the flirting to a 1000 today.

“There’s been an Akuma. It’s Lila Rossi again. Don’t let her hit you. Her power is to make you remember your worst regrets and failures.” She warned as she ran back towards her.

“I have absolutely none! If anyone should watch out, it’s you!” He said, as he overtook her.

Ladybug raised an eyebrow. As sweet and kind as Chat could be, it wasn’t unusual for him to act obnoxious sometimes.

Why did it seem like he was taking it up to a 10 today?

——-

“It hurts!” Adrien sobbed. “I can’t-”

Visions flooded his mind.

First it was Nino, glaring at him. Which was exceptionally shocking considering Nino was even more sweet tempered than him.

“Why would someone like me want to be best buds with someone like you? You’re nothing but a stuck-up, male version of Chloe. I should never have talked to you the minute I knew you were friends with her.”

Next came Kagami.

“I cannot believe I wasted my time with someone as pathetic as you. You are so weak, Adrien! And not in just fencing, you keep breaking my heart again and again because you can’t get over her!”

Next came Plagg.

“I could always find a much better Chat Noir than you.” He scoffed. “You’ve never wanted to become a hero to save lives, you just wanted the fun out of it! No wonder Master Fu didn’t trust you.”

Next to him he could see Fu standing there looking disappointed.

Then Plagg spoke again.

“ADRIEN, SNAP OUT OF IT!”

Wait, no, that wasn’t Plagg. It was HIS Plagg speaking.

“I can’t!” He was on his knees, holding his head like it was made out of lead. “All I do is disappoint people!”

“You are quite right there.” A cold, grave voice startled him.

“F-father??” Adrien stammered, seeing him tower over his pathetic state.

“Let’s see. You have the lowest grades you have received in all your life, you are getting worse at fencing, and you play piano like your fingers have been frozen into ice. And that is not even the least of it.”

“Father, please, stop it!” Adrien screamed.

“I’m disappointed in you. I didn’t raise you to be one. I wish you were never my son.”

Then Gabriel disappeared.

Leaving behind the one person Adrien never thought he would see.

“M-mom???” Was his vision fading? Was he going to be okay at last??

“Mom! I missed you so much! Where did you go? Why did you leave me?”

But his mother didn’t speak. She just looked at him sadly. And somehow that felt worse than his father’s anger.

“I should never have come back.” She whispered before fading away.

“Serves you right, Chat Noir.”

“Ladybug?” He whispered pitifully.

“You don’t get to call me that. You have never been the partner I deserved!” She was behind him.

“W-what?”

“You just couldn’t take no for an answer, could you?” She stomped her feet. “I hate your flirting, I hate your stupid puns, your stupid jokes and I hate you! I hate always having to clean up your mess! You couldn’t even make a decent Chat Noir, how could you possibly make a decent Aspik??!”

“No, don’t say that!”

“25,913 times??? And you still couldn’t find a way to save me?? No one else failed me. Only you did! You lied to me, both as Adrien and Chat Noir! You made me feel like I had to be your girlfriend! I don’t want to be! I hate you!”

Adrien had closed his eyes the entire time. Looking at her was painful. Breathing was painful. Moving was painful.

Then out of nowhere, Ladybug spoke again, much softer than before. “I thought you said we were in this together.”

“L-ladybug?”

“No, it’s Marinette.”

His eyes snapped open.

“How could you?” She was crying. “You told me you had my back, and you stabbed it.”

“No, I didn’t!”

“Yes you did!” She cried even louder. “You didn’t help me expose her lies! You cared about her feelings more than mine! You did a photoshoot with her after I got expelled by her!”

“I only did it exchange to get you back in school!”

Marinette became eerily quiet again. “It doesn’t matter. It’s too late.”

Then suddenly everything went black.

“Adrien, wake up!” It was Plagg again. “It’s okay, I cataclysmed the necklace, you’re alright!”

Adrien blearily opened his eyes. He was sprawled across the stairs.

“Plagg?” He mulled.

“Oh, Adrien!” Plagg wailed as he collided with his chest for a hug.

“I’m sorry I didn’t do it sooner, I didn’t trust myself enough to not cataclysm you along with the necklace!”

Sighing in relief, Adrien cuddled his kwami closer. “Plagg, don’t apologise. You saved my life.”

“Really? You’re not angry with me?” Plagg asked so sadly it nearly made Adrien cry.

“No, I’m not.” He said seriously, realising how similar he and Plagg were.

“But we can’t stay here.” Adrien got up, clinging to the railing.

“Can you walk?” Plagg asked.

“It doesn’t matter even if I can’t.” Adrien panted. “Plagg, Claws Out!”

———

What was wrong with Chat??

He got himself caught in Lila’s sashes and every single time she had to save him.

He threw his baton at her, and she managed to catch it and land a hit on his forehead.

And worse, they had an audience in the form of their class. Alya was filming the entire thing desperately.

“Chat, I told you direct attacks aren’t working!” Ladybug shouted. “I’ll just use my Lucky Charm-”

“No need for any of your complicated, convoluted plans, m'lady!” He said aggressively.

Convoluted?

He never said those things about her plans before!

“I’ll just Cataclysm her sash! That’s where the Akuma must be! Cataclysm!”

“WHAT? NO, STOP!” Ladybug tried to grab for his tail.

Like she predicted, Guilt Tripper simply flew out of his way, Chat tripped and ended up cataclysming the door to the janitor’s closet instead.

Ladybug facepalmed loudly.

She flung her yo yo right in between Guilt Tripper’s eyes, stunning her momentarily.

“This isn’t over!” She vowed, picking Chat off the floor and dragging him away to the nearest empty space, the locker rooms.

She pushed him inside and locked the door.

“Chat, what has gotten into you?!” She yelled. “Why didn’t you trust me enough to use my Lucky Charm??”

“Come on, m'lady it wasn’t a big deal!” He scoffed, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer than he ever had before.

She knew what Chat’s casual touches were like, and this wasn’t one of them.

She pushed his arm away. “Yes, it’s a big deal, you reckless cat! You could have gotten yourself killed!”

That was when he turned to face her fully.

And for some reason, a chill ran up Ladybug’s spine.

A very familiar one that had happened only in front of another person. Felix, Adrien’s cousin.

That never happened before. And not in front of him! This was Chat Noir! Her silly, goofy cat!

“Well.” He purred seductively. “You were there to save me, weren’t you, m'lady?”

“Huh?” She stuttered. “Wait. You used your Cataclysm. Why isn’t your miraculous beeping?”

Chat ignored her, pacing towards her as she took several steps back away from him.

“You’re just denying the inevitable, m'lady. You and I are meant for each other. Don’t you know? The cat and the ladybug are drawn towards each other. They’re soulmates.”

What the hell?

Ladybug’s foot hit the metal of one of the lockers.

Before she could move, he lunged for her, trapping her in between his arms.

“You-you-”

The look in his eyes did not belong to Chat Noir.

Not once did he ever look at her like she was some delicious meal ready to be gobbled up.

“You love me, Ladybug.” He purred. “Stop denying it and let me-AGH!”

Ladybug had kicked him between his legs. He stumbled off his balance and she shoved him away from her.

“I don’t know what you are but you are NOT Chat Noir!” She growled furiously. “He’s a flirt but he would never corner me like that!”

The fake looked up at her from where she had knocked him down.

Then he smirked evilly, giving away his true colours. He got up easily and Ladybug flinched away from him.

“I must say, I underestimated how much you trust my lesser version.”

Ladybug punched him. Hard.

So hard he went flying towards the locker closest to the door she had stupidly locked.

“Shut. Up!” She yelled. “You’ll never be half the person he is! Don’t you dare talk about him that way!”

CRASH!

The door was kicked open and there stood the real Chat Noir in all his leather clad glory.

“You heard the lady.” He said, shouldering his baton. “Don’t talk about me in that way!”

“Chat?” She sighed, relieved.

“Like I’m actually going to listen!” The fake one scoffed. “Cataclysm!” He yelled, taking a running start towards him, palm outstretched.

Chat shrugged. “Oh well, atleast I tried.”

He casually took a wide sidestep to the right. The fake Chat Noir missed him by several inches and to add fuel to the fire, tripped over his real counterpart’s foot causing him and his Cataclysm to completely disappear behind the ravaged remains of the entrance.

“Hey there, Bugaboo.” Chat grinned, leaning against the locker and crossing his arms. “Sorry I took so long.”

Ladybug nearly came undone from the relief that flooded her veins.

She ran up to him and threw her arms around his middle.

“Woah-” Chat stumbled from her force.

“Where were you??” She cried into his chest. “I got- I got tricked by that monster- into thinking he was you and I stupidly fell for it-!”

“Hey, Bug.” Chat soothed, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her closer. “It’s okay. I’m here now.”

“I’m s-so sorry I didn’t recognise him sooner- if I had none of this would have happened-”

“Hey, I am the last person you should be apologizing to.” Chat said into her hair. “Don’t you remember the Ladybug sentimonster? I totally fell for it. You figured out who he was on your own.”

Ladybug desperately wanted to tell him how she had almost gotten assaulted twice in three months, but something else Chat said caught her spark.

“Wait!” She said, pulling away from him abruptly and wiping her tears. “Sentimonster! That’s what he is! That’s why he is able to use his Cataclysm again and again without running out of time!”

“Wait, are you saying Mayura sent a sentimonster of me to distract you from defeating the villain?”

“Uh huh.” She squared her shoulders. “And right now, we need to find a way to release his amok before going after Guilt Tripper, because he is far more dangerous.”

“Lucky Charm!” She called out and a roll of red-and-black spotted duct tape fell into her hands.

“Duct tape?” Chat was confused. “How is that going to help us?”

“I don’t know, but atleast I can differentiate you from him.” She tore off a bit of tape and stuck it around both his wrists. “Don’t take them off.” She pleaded.

“You have my word.” He said seriously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, this is my first fic posted on Ao3! I'm miraculouslycool on Tumblr! Please do check out my other stories too!


	3. Chapter 3

Chat Noir and Ladybug stealthily edged themselves towards him after sorting through the rubble.

The sentimonster was still unconscious on his back. He didn’t seem to be breathing.

Chat took a few extra paces towards him only to get held back by Ladybug.

“What are you doing?” Ladybug hissed.

“I was going to check for a pulse-”

“No, he’s not dead! Mayura is the only one who can get rid of sentimonsters, and we don’t even know if he has his amok ON him!”

That was when Chat noticed something sticking out of his waist where his pockets should be.

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t carry around ballpoint pens wherever I go.” He snarked, pointing to him.

“The pen? You think that’s where the amok is?”

It was only then Chat noticed Ladybug hadn’t let go of his hand.

“Look!” Ladybug prompted. He turned around and saw Mayura’s symbol appear around his eyes. “She’s talking to him!”

“Where’s Ladybug?” They heard Alya yell from above them.

“What happened to Chat Noir, is he okay??”

“Where’s the Akuma?”

SentiNoir began to stir.

“Oh no Oh no Oh no…” Ladybug muttered.

“Right here!” Guilt Tripper’s cackling voice echoed as she swished in the air, causing the entire class on the floor above them to scream.

She was looking directly at them, though.

“Looks like Hawkmoth sent me an ally.” She grinned, looking at Sentinoir who had opened his eyes.

“This was his plan?” Chat sputtered. “Get me out of the way so he can go after you?”

“Seems like it.” Ladybug muttered.

Without warning, Guilt Tripper shot blindly at the class, causing a scream to erupt.

“No, stop it!” Ladybug demanded, glaring at her.

“Leave them alone!” Chat Noir growled as he ran at her, but he was promptly thrown back into Ladybug’s arms by SentiNoir who decided to wake up just then.

Ladybug’s earrings beeped.

“Chat, we can’t continue this here! If he fights us he could destroy the balcony and everyone in it!”

Chat heard screams of anguish not unidentical to what he had experienced.

“Bathrooms.” He said simply, grabbing her hand and running towards the right.

“You thought you got rid of me, didn’t you?!” The sentimonster’s furious grunt mingled in his ears with Ladybug’s rushed breathing.

“Take care of them, kitty.” Guilt Tripper preened over everyone’s shocked exclaims of why there were two Chat Noirs.

Once they reached the male restrooms on the other side of the floor (he didn’t want to go to the ladies’s room, that was where Marinette was hiding!) Ladybug kicked the door open.

“Don’t you come any closer!” Chat aggressively held up his baton in a defensive stance.

SentiNoir merely laughed. “Why would you want someone like him? After all, I am the much stronger one. I can actually stay transformed for one and-” his smirk became even more sinister. “-you and I belong together, m'lady.”

Chat never realised how many times he had said those same words in the past. He had stopped when he realised he was crossing a line, but SentiNoir was performing circus tactics over it.

“She’s not a possession!” He snapped at his look-alike, wanting nothing more than to rip out his throat instead of waiting for Ladybug to figure out her Lucky Charm.

“Yes, she is, she belongs to me!” He growled. “Don’t you, m'lady?” He leered at her behind him.

Ladybug was having a plan about having Chat Noir cataclysm some of the water pipes.

She didn’t need that anyway.

She furiously flung her yo yo around his waist, trapping him.

SentiNoir lost his balance and fell at her feet.

“Listen here, you cheap copy.” She said, her voice dangerously low. “There is only one guy who can call me his lady, and you are not him.”

Chat Noir was glad she didn’t turn around, for he was positively swooning at her.

He was so distracted by her aggressive stance and powerful words, he almost missed the flash of purple flying towards them.

And when he did, it was too late.

Guilt Tripper fired at Ladybug before she could react, and she went flying into the bathrooms along with her yo yo, which conveniently freed the predatory sentimonster.

“LADYBUG!” Chat Noir yelled as he ran to her side.

“Not so fast, cat.” SentiNoir grabbed his tail, preventing him from running away.

“Just lending a helping paw.” Guilt Tripper said before he saw her fly away from the corner of his eye.

‘No, no, she couldn’t go through what I went through! This is all my fault! I should have been looking around my surroundings instead of being a distracted idiot! I could have taken the shot for her again! I would have been able to go through that pain instead of her a thousand times if I had to-’

'No, Adrien.’ he thought determinedly. 'Think. Do what Ladybug would do.“ He said, unbuckling his belt and easily escaping from the sentimonster’s grasp.

SentiNoir had fallen face first, not expecting the impact.

As he spun around to face him again, his foot knocked against something. He looked down to see the duct tape that Ladybug had dropped.

He grabbed it just as SentiNoir called, "Cataclysm!”

“Say goodbye, sucker.” He said, lunging at him.

But Chat Noir had already lunged first, pinning him to the ground.

“Complicated plans aren’t my thing, you know?” He said, taping his mouth shut with the duct tape. “There, now that your annoying motor mouth has been taken care of, I need to search your pockets.” He said, pulling out the pen and thrusting it into SentiNoir’s Cataclysm powered hand.

The amok flew out and Chat Noir caught it just before SentiNoir disappeared from underneath him.

——–

Marinette refused to open her eyes and give in to the voices hollering in her ears.

“You are such a terrible friend! How could you do those things to Lila?! How could you tell Ladybug to not give me the fox anymore?!”

Alya would never say that, would she?

“I trusted you, Marinette. But you have failed me as my student. You are the reason Hawkmoth took away all the miraculouses!”

She tugged at whatever was choking her neck but it wouldn’t give way.

“You are not good enough. You’re not kind enough.”

“You didn’t help me when I ask you to! What kind of a friend are you?!”

“I told you that you would end up all alone!”

“Lila was right about you. I’m glad I stopped you from exposing her. Some 'Everyday Ladybug’ you are. I will never love someone like you.’

'Why are you coming crawling back to me?’

The last one. She recognised everyone else but recognising Chat Noir felt more painful than ever.

'I gave my everything to you. I told you I loved you over and over again and the one time you decide to tell me that again, is when I don’t give you any attention anymore.’

The words stung. It hurt. Everything hurt. She couldn’t move. She didn’t want to move.

'You want nothing but attention. Like Lila. You’re worse than her. You played with my feelings and when I decide I’ve had enough - you are not worth my time anymore, Ladybug. You are too late.”

“Ladybug!” Another voice broke through Chat Noir’s voice and everything stopped.

“Ladybug? Ladybug, open your eyes!” Someone was gently patting her cheek.

She moved her hand painfully to feel the arm and hand that touched her cheek.

She felt leather, and… claws, and….a ring.

She opened her eyes and sucked in a deep breath like she had escaped from drowning.

“C-Chat? You’re - here? And - not in my head?”

“Ssh. It’s okay. I’m not in your head, and whatever I or anyone else told you is just a bad nightmare. None of it is true.” He soothed. That was when she realised he was holding her in his lap and using his thigh as a pillow. “I know what it’s like.”

“H-how?” She blinked.

“I got attacked by Guilt Tripper as a civilian before. That’s why I couldn’t meet up with you immediately. Plagg destroyed the necklace though!” He said as she grew frantic. “I’m fine.”

Her eyes flashed to his wrists and sure enough, he was wearing the duct taped bracelets she made. Like he promised he would.

“C-Chat, what happened to the sentimonster?” She lifted her head and sat up.

“I defeated him.” He wound an arm around her, keeping her steady. “I got the amok. I would have used my Cataclysm but I saved it to destroy the necklace that was trapping you.” He handed her the feather.

Ladybug didn’t bother to spin her yoyo. She threw the feather inside it and a moment later released it.

“Bye bye, little feather.” She sighed, leaning her throbbing head against Chat’s surprisingly broad shoulder.

That was when her earrings beeped.

“Oh no!” She snapped. “How many spots do I have left?”

“One.” Chat Noir helped her up. “It’s fine. We’re in a restroom. You can detransform and recharge in one of the cubicles.

"Thank you for saving my life, kitty.” She said, seriously, squeezing his arm.

“Eh.” He shrugged, grinning at her as she ran into a stall and locked it just as her transformation gave way.

“Tikki!” Marinette said in alarm as her kwami dropped tiredly into her hands.

“I’m fine, Ma- uh, Ladybug!” She said.

“I’m so so sorry!” Marinette hugged her close to her chest. “I should never have gotten hit-”

“Ladybug, maybe you should take your own advice in not accepting responsiblity for things that are not your fault.” Tikki said gently.

“You’re right.” Marinette sighed.

“Claws in.” She heard in a distant corner of the restroom.

Yeah. She shouldn’t take responsibility for things that aren’t her fault. She had every right to not be in love with Chat Noir. She had every right to reject him.

And he had every right to move on, too.

Marinette squeezed her eyes shut as Tikki munched on her cookie.

She could shake off every single one of the accuses in her head, even Adrien’s. And yet for some reason she couldn’t shake off Chat Noir’s.

Mostly because he was right.

The silly and loyal cat had somehow wound her way around her heart without even her noticing.

And finally noticing wasn’t doing her any good either. It wasn’t her place to confess her feelings now. He had moved on. He didn’t tell her, but she could. She couldn’t go and confuse him even more. She had her chance and she ruined it. It was too late.

“Kitty, are you still here?” She called, just to be sure.

“I’m never leaving your side, Bugaboo.” She heard his reply.

She wasn’t going to make that mistake again. His friendship was no consolation prize in the stead of his extinguished love for her.


	4. Part 4

After a quick energy break for Plagg and Tikki, Ladybug and Chat Noir burst out of the restrooms and into action.

"Where is she?" Ladybug grunted, spinning her yo yo as fast as she could. "What do you think, Chat?" 

He didn't answer.

"Chat? What-" she turned to see him looking around the school courtyard, and for the first time, she did too. 

"Oh no." She said, horrified. 

Everyone around them had a purple pendant around their neck, and some were even wrapped so tight, they were choking. People who tried to fight her control. 

People like Alya, Nino, Alix.   
Even Chloe. 

"Now I know why I felt like...." Chat placed a hand on his throat. "...like I couldn't breathe." 

Ladybug silently nodded. Inhaling deeply, she said firmly. "As much as you and I want to relieve them all of their misery immediately, we can't. You don't have enough Cataclysms to go around. We have to find Guilt Tripper. She can't have gone far." 

Chat Noir nodded and added bitterly as he followed Ladybug's lead. "Maybe I shouldn't have destroyed the sentimonster. Atleast he could have been more useful than I am at this point." 

"Wait, what?" Ladybug stopped running. "What are you saying?" 

"I... don't know. I feel so useless, Ladybug. Sometimes I feel like you can destroy akumas without me. Like I'm a distraction, like I'm an annoyance-" Chat stopped when he felt Ladybug's finger on his lips. 

"Did....did I say things like this when you were affected?" She asked softly. 

Chat was silent. He didn't want to hurt her. 

"Chat." She pleaded. 

He nodded, eyes downcast.

"Oh, my poor kitty." Ladybug sighed, moving her hand to his cheek. 

He leaned into her touch but didn't look at her or reply. She couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu. She remembered wiping the tear off of his eviler, more dangerous version in another timeline. 

A timeline where they had been in love. Where he had known who she really was and still didn't stop loving her-

No. She couldn't think about that. That Chat and her Chat were different. Nothing could replace her Chat Noir. 

Chat's expression changed when hers did. "What....what did I say to you in your vision?" 

Ladybug froze. "I...uh...um-LOOK OUT!" She tackled both of them out of the way as a purple beam flew right at them. 

When they finally stopped after rolling away, Ladybug was underneath him on the ground. Without wasting any time, he got out of her space and pulled her to her feet. 

She smiled to herself. What were Hawkmoth and Mayura thinking? They'd never get to fool her into not recognising her partner.

"Earpieces." Was all she said and it was enough for Chat to take the hint. 

"There you two are. I was pretty upset I never got to interrogate the two of you." Guilt Tripper pouted. 

“Chat, remember to play only defense! Direct attacks don’t work with her!” Ladybug warned as they charged at her.

“I’ll trust you with my life, Bugaboo!” he said, back to his old self again, making her grin. 

“Let’s see, what do we have here?” Chat taunted. “Another terribly named akuma?”

“You won’t be laughing when I get you, cat!” She cackled, her sash shooting at him. 

“Whoops!’ He easily dodged out of her way. “Missed me!” 

“Hey!” Ladybug bonked her with her yo yo. 

“AGH!” She held her head. “Stop doing that!” 

“Her necklace. Don’t use cataclysm.” He heard her whisper in his ear using the earpiece. 

“Oh, don’t be such a baby!” She scoffed loudly at her as she got into a literal block and tackle with Guilt Tripper’s sashes and her yo yo. 

Chat took advantage of her back being turned and extended and slid his baton under her necklace’s clasp.

The villain flinched when she felt the cold metal, but before she could actually react, Chat had ripped her necklace off of her. 

Nothing happened. 

"You're going to have to try harder than that!" She cackled, shooting at him while he dodged. 

"I would have been surprised if it worked." He heard Ladybug say in his ear. "It was too easy." 

"Easy was never her style." Chat muttered, both of them jumping over her sashes extending to trip them. 

Guilt Tripper shook her fists at them angrily. "STOP GETTING AWAY!" 

Lila seemed more desperate than usual, Ladybug thought. She must have known that her game was practically over considering the class knew she was a liar. 

A glint of silver in her hand caught her eye and she has gasped.   
"The bracelet!" She whispered to herself. 

"The bracelet?" She gasped audibly when Chat said in her ear. 

"That's where the Akuma is. I think. WOAH!" She did a backflip to avoid getting hit by her laser eye beams, and clearly saw her hand glow at the same time her eyes did. 

"Nope." She corrected herself. "I don't think, I know. Lucky Charm!" She called out her superpower. 

"Pepper Spray??" She was beyond confused. 

"How convenient!" Chat Noir called from the other end of the courtyard. 

"Think, Ladybug, think." She told herself. Guilt Tripper could fly. She couldn't stay in one place either. And the one thing trapping them from making her stay in one place were her sashes. 

But Ladybug couldn't fly. She had to get HER to do that too. 

It came to her instantly. 

"Lead her into the gym." She mumbled. 

"Hey! How about some excercise?" Chat Noir grinned, bonking her head smugly with his baton and sprinting off inside the direction of the gym. 

"Get her to forget about me." She said into the earpieces. 

"Course." Chat's voice reassured her.

Waiting until the ends of her sashes disappeared, Ladybug took running after them. 

"Rein her in!" She hollered, once inside the gym. 

Chat slid easily underneath the villain and grabbed her sashes and held them together. 

"You're going to regret that!" Guilt Tripper scowled visibly at him as she just flew faster, dragging him away with her in the air.

"WOOOAHHHH!" Chat yelled as he held on for dear life. 

"Perfect! Stay that way!" Ladybug yelled purposefully. 

Hearing her voice, the villain glared at her. "There you are, you insect!" 

"Try and catch me if you can!" Ladybug smirked, making no move to escape. 

Her pure, unbridled anger was an advantage. Had this been any other situation, Lila would have gotten suspicious.   
Right now, all she saw was an open chance at nabbing her worst enemy. 

Taking the bait, she zoomed at her. 

"Chat Noir! Now!" 

Chat skidded for a few moments, but when he found his footing, he stuck to it stubbornly. 

Before she could fly off with him again, he cataclysmed her sashes. 

The effect was instantaneous. With a scream, she plopped on the ground. 

"Well done, Kitty Noir!" Ladybug rushed to his side as he held up his hands for a high five. 

"You speak too soon." The deeply embarrassed villain growled as she got to her feet in record time. 

"You underestimate us." Ladybug said coolly, spraying the pepper spray in her eyes before she could shoot. 

"ARRRGGHHH!" She yelled in agony, holding her head as her eyes stung, leaving Ladybug free to rip her bracelet off her arm and smash it under her heel. 

The Akuma flew out and Ladybug purified it as Chat watched Guilt Tripper turn back into Lila. 

"Ladybug? Chat Noir?" She asked, blinking.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called, throwing the spray into the air, yet neither her not Chat Noir had eyes for anyone but Lila. 

"What happened? Oh no, was I akumatised??" She said, with a great air of shock. 

Ladybug gave Chat a tired sideye. His reaction mirrored hers, but they knew they had to power through this. They were heroes after all. 

"Yes, you were, Lila. It's alright now." Ladybug said curtly as Chat gave her a hand to get up. 

"What happened, though?" Chat asked, and Ladybug frowned at how different his voice had gotten. 

"Oh, it was the worst thing ever!" Lila blubbered, snatching her hand from Chat's and covering her face. "I only tried to make Adrien happy by trying to get him a meeting with his favourite actress! But he humiliated me in front of the entire class!" 

Ladybug's teeth clenched in anger. Of course. OF COURSE she hadn't even shown a single drop of remorse. 

She wanted to do nothing more than punch her at the moment, but she knew she couldn't lose her cool. That was the reason Lila became their enemy in the first place, and she couldn't let it happen again, especially since there was no way LADYBUG could have known what exactly happened. 

"Is that so?" Ladybug and Lila turned to see Chat Noir giving the latter the ugliest scowl possible. 

Huh? 

His fists were clenched and he was trembling with anger. 

"Yes, Chat Noir! That's what happened! Although I'm not sure Adrien really meant to do that, he was feeling under the weather for a few days-"

"That's not what Adrien told me." He said bitingly. 

Chat was fed up. Fed up of everyone treating him like an object, fed up of treating him like a toy, fed up of everyone walking over him. 

"You saw Adrien?" Ladybug asked, her eyes wide. 

"Yes, I did." He answered Ladybug, but he didn't look at her.

"And he told me what you did. How you carelessly lied to him about setting up a meeting with his disappeared mother whom he hadn't seen in over a year." 

"Adrien is my friend! I didn't know his favourite actress was his mother!" Lila became defensive, but Ladybug could see she was intimidated. 

"And if you really were his friend, you wouldn't lie to him. Not about something like this. You're not even a little sorry about what you did, are you?" He snapped. 

Ladybug touched his arm, trying to soothe him. 

He inhaled deeply, and finally looked at her gratefully.   
She didn't need to say anything. He just knew she had his back no matter what. 

"Chat - Chat Noir!" She blubbered. "Why are you mad at me? I was akumatised! I'm the victim here!" 

"No one is blaming you for the damage you did when you were akumatised." Ladybug said sternly. "But what you did to Adrien was too unforgivable. If you were his friend, it should be ingrained in your head to not lie to him to get his attention." 

Their miraculous beeped.

"If I were you, Lila." Chat Noir said gruffly. "I'd apologize. And I'd mean it." He said, before walking out of the gym. 

"Chat Noir!" He jumped when he saw Alya run towards them, camera in hand. "Ladybug!" 

"Hello, Alya." Ladybug said, coming up to the two of them. 

"What happened? Did you defeat the villain? Where's Lila?" She asked. 

"Inside." Chat Noir said curtly before vaulting out of the school. 

Alya frowned at Chat Noir's sour mood and turned off her phone.

"Is he okay?" Alya asked, genuinely concerned.

Ladybug smiled at her considerateness. "He will. Thank you for asking. Bug out!" She swung away. 

"Kitty! Wait!" She called after him when she saw him on the top of the school building in a half squatted position like a bird ready to take off. 

"Ladybug? What's wrong?" He asked. 

Her heart tugged at her when she realised he had carefully rearranged features into a neutral expression. 

"Is everything okay? You seemed oddly tense with Lila and you're the one who is more patient with her than I am." 

"I'm... there's a lot going on in my civilian life. And believe me, if I could, I would tell you...but..." 

"I know." She said softly. She hated it. She was the one insisting on it and she hated it. She was such a hypocrite. 

"Can we talk during patrol tonight?" She finally asked.   
He blinked. "But it's not your night today." 

She shrugged. "Homework will just have to wait then, I guess." 

Chat slowly smiled. "I can't wait, Bugaboo." He raised his fist.   
She met it with equal vigour.   
"Pound it." 

\--------  
"Class, please, settle down!" Miss Bustier was trying to bring order to the class without success.   
Adrien and Lila were standing in front of her desk, and the boy was refusing to meet her eyes while Lila was wiping tears Marinette knew were fake. 

Almost the entire class was shouting protests on behalf of Adrien. Some of them were being neutral, like Juleka, Rose, Mylene and Sabrina. According to them, Lila should not have lied, but it's not like she meant it with malicious intent, seeing as she didn't even know Adrien's mother's maiden name.

The one person who stayed quiet was Marinette. She was carefully trying to make eye contact with Adrien. Once he did, she looked at him pleadingly. 

Communicating through eye contact was something she reserved for Chat Noir. And yet, it seemed to come easy with Adrien. 

"Are you okay?" She wordlessly asked. 

He shrugged, throwing her a small smile that made her insides flutter. 

"Alright, class. As much as I understand all of your feelings, this is something for Adrien and Lila to resolve." Miss Bustier said sternly. "Go on, then. Who wants to go first?" 

"M-miss Bustier, I swear, I didn't mean to hurt Adrien! I thought it would make him happy if he got to meet his favorite actress, I didn't know it was his mother! I didn't think he'd be so upset." She sniffled. 

That just made Adrien's insides boil even further. There she was, playing the victim again. 

"So why lie about it?" He asked curtly. 

"My lying disorder is acting up." Lila fluttered her eyelashes at him sharply. "You know, I really can't control what I say most of the time. So please, Adrien, please don't be offended if I hurt you by accident, I really can't help it!" 

Some of the class sighed sympathetically, but Chloe, Alya and Marinette were still seething.   
Miss Bustier turned tiredly to Adrien. "What do you have to say about this, Adrien?"

"Honestly, Miss Bustier? I have much better things to do with my time than hold a grudge. Lila, I forgive you." 

"Really?" Her eyes glinted maliciously. Clearly she thought she had him wrapped around her finger again.

"Yes. But, I really don't think we can be friends and our relationship should be strictly professional as you are modeling with me." 

Lila gasped. "How can you say that? Don't you want to be friends with me anymore??!" 

Adrien shrugged emotionlessly as he walked back to his seat next to a proud looking Nino. "Not really. I don't think we'd last that long without annoying each other. I'm doing both of us a favor." 

Marinette had to suppress a giggle at that. 

Lila was seeing red. Half the class was still glaring at her and the stupid model boy and his stupid girlfriend had ruined everything she had worked for! 

"Lila, as for what I can say, " Miss Bustier pinched the bridge of her nose. "I really hope you won't repeat something like this again. I can certainly help you find better therapy for this condition of yours." 

"But Miss Bustier, it's not my fault! You can't punish me for trying to be a good friend!" 

"You know, it's honestly a miracle Adrien decided to forgive you when you haven't even apologized to him." Alya snapped. 

"Lila, don't make me send you to the principal's office. Alya, please sit down." Miss Bustier said firmly. 

She stopped when she saw Marinette's hand in the air. "Anything you'd like to say, Marinette?" 

"Yes, ma'am. As class representative, I believe it is a part of my job to say what I have in mind right now." 

"Alright. Go on." 

Lila was squirming in her place next to the desk. No. No. This was not happening. If Marinette exposes her completely, it will be the end of everything-

"I would just like to say that, yes, Lila did make a huge error in judgement today, but I really don't think anyone should blame her for getting akumatised." 

Lila's head snapped up to her in shock. Everyone was stunned. Most of all, Alya. She always knew Marinette was never on good terms with Lila, so where did this sudden friendliness come from?

Adrien was the only one wearing a proud smile. He knew Marinette would do something like this. Not that she had to tell him that. Despite everything, he knew Marinette was self-respectful and classy. She was an everyday Ladybug. 

"Almost everyone in this room has been akumatised. And none of us blame each other for the damage we caused when we were under Hawkmoth's control, because we weren't in our right state of mind. Lila is just like the rest of us, a formerly akumatised victim. So I would just like to say, we are not in any way close, but I request you all on her behalf to not bully her out of anger from what happened." 

"You're defending me???" Lila's face had turned white.

"Akumatisation happens to the best of us. And I've seen weirder diseases." She said calmly. "I can't ask any of you to forgive her or be friends with her. It's not my place to. But if we answer negativity with negativity, it just makes us all bigger bait for Hawkmoth. And as civilians, if we truly want Ladybug and Chat Noir to win, this is the best way to help them." 

Some of the class 'oohed' at that. Adrien almost applauded before having his hand held away by Nino. 

"Excellent choice of words, Marinette. Lila, I want to see you after class. Please go to your seat." 

Lila made a pitiful show of hanging her head while she walked to the back of the class.   
Marinette would have thought she changed her ways, if not for the way she glared at her before turning her nose up at her. 

"Wow, girl." Alya whispered. "That was incredibly wise of you. I have to admit, I'm surprised." 

"Thank you." Marinette smiled. 

"And... about that... Marinette, I'm really sorry. I should have listened to what you said about her. She was a wolf in sheep's clothing all along and I feel really stupid." Alya said sadly. "I'm so so sorry." 

"Alya..." Marinette put a hand around her shoulders. "Do you really think I would let anyone come in between the two of us?" 

"You... forgive me?" 

"Of course I do! Besides, my BFF was one of the first to believe and help me when I got expelled." She winked. "Lila is very manipulative. I really don't blame you." 

Alya sighed. "I'm relieved. I was terrified that you would walk away from me or something." 

Marinette gave her shoulder a tight squeeze which Alya reciprocated. 

"But what's with the sudden change of heart?" Alya questioned. "A month ago, you were hell bent on exposing her. What made you brush it off like that?" 

"Well, someone taught me that the high road has much lesser traffic." Marinette said, pointedly sideyeing Adrien. 

Thankfully, Alya missed the gesture, but Adrien hadn't. 

"Dude, why are your cheeks so red?" Nino enquired worriedly. 

"ALLERGIES!" He squeaked loudly, making the class jump, and then laugh at him. Even Chloe. Except Lila, of course, but no one paid her any mind.

Nobody knew it, but Ladybug and Chat Noir had brought the lighthearted mood back into Miss Bustier's class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohh, you ain't seen nothing yet, it's gonna be a night you'll never forget......
> 
> Sorry, I'll take my musical ass and get out of here.
> 
> CAN'T WAIT TILL SATURDAY NIGHT!


	5. Part 5

Ladybug's feet lightly thudded on the roof of Montparnasse Tower. 

"Doesn't this seem familiar?" She heard a voice behind her and she jumped. 

Chat Noir was sitting on the edge of the building, and was smiling at her weakly. "Easy, Ladybug, it's just me." 

Ladybug. He called her Ladybug. Either he had gone back to his old/new habit of calling her by her full name, or he was too bummed out to be dishing out the nicknames. 

"Yeah, it does seem familiar." Ladybug raised an eyebrow. She knew exactly why, and for two reasons.  
This was the place where they kissed while having their memories erased and also the place where Ladybug had spent an entire evening patrolling with Chat after defeating Chat Blanc. 

Of course, he knew only of the former (and knew better than to ask) and not fully about the latter, since she couldn't tell him without causing a time paradox. 

"I still don't know what that was about, you know." Chat patted the space next to him and Ladybug sat down. "It was a rather sudden patrol you called that day." 

She couldn't look at him. Instead she stared out into the night sky. "Can't I want to see my partner for no reason?" 

That seemed to satisfy him. "Fair enough." 

She let out a shaky breath. She had a very good feeling that if Chat hadn't been around to Cataclysm the necklace, Chat Blanc would have appeared, accusing her of even more things.  
She couldn't think about that now. Chat Noir needed her. 

"So... what's going on?" She asked him tentatively. 

"Well, the mess in my civilian life has been sorted out. Mostly." He said. 

"Really? Are you sure you don't want to talk about it, Kitty? Because I'm sure we can find someway to do that without going too far-" 

"I'm sure." Chat smiled, nudging her with his shoulder as he sat closer to her, their thighs touching, then he immediately froze. 

"Chat?" Ladybug enquired. "What's wrong?" 

"I'm sorry!" He blabbered, throwing himself away from her a good few inches away. 

"Sorry? What- I don't understand- what are you sorry for?" Ladybug was alarmed. Had the necklace's effects not worn off??

"I- I moved too close, I disrespected your need for personal space, I'm sorry, I won't do it again since you don't want me to-'" he paused when he felt Ladybug's hands on his shoulders. 

"Chat. Look at me." She prompted. 

His eyes flickered to her and just as quickly, moved away. "Ladybug, I've....been making so many forward advances towards you- and I'm so sorry for that! I would never want to disrespect you-" 

"Hey." She shook him firmly. "Do you see me being uncomfortable?" 

He gulped. "I don't- that's not for me to decide." 

She slid her hands down his arms to hold his gloved ones. "Well, I'm not. Are you?" 

He didn't answer for a moment. "I could never be uncomfortable when you're around." 

"Well, that's settled then." She said firmly, pulling him back to his old position, much closer to her. 

"Chat.... what's going on? What did I say in your visions?" 

"I...um, it doesn't really matter. You and I both know the visions were fake." 

"If you really thought that you wouldn't have jumped away from me like that." She argued. 

"I'm sorry I freaked you out, Ladybug." He rubbed his temple tiredly. "I'm a mess right now, and you really don't have to go along with this." 

"Stop that." Ladybug said sharply.

"Stop what?" 

"Apologizing for how you feel! Kitty, if you can't tell me about the other people who appeared to you, at least tell me what I said! I can't go on seeing you looking like this!" 

Chat turned to look at her worried face. She cared about him so much, even if it was never going to be beyond a dear and trusted friend. 

He wasn't going to make the same mistake again. He adored simply being with Ladybug. He considered being her friend a huge honor. He always had. 

He just...tended to take it for granted sometimes. 

"Do you...do you remember Sandboy?" He asked quietly. 

She flinched. "Was it your nightmare again?" 

"Is it really a nightmare when it opens your eyes to something you would never have seen otherwise?" He said bitterly. 

"What are you talking about?" 

"Your vision told me....that I was never of help to you in battles, and that I always flirted with you even though you hated it, and that...that I just couldn't take no for an answer." 

"Chat....none of that is true." 

"You don't know what she sounded like." 

"Well, I'm not her! And I'm telling you that you are none of those things!" 

"Really? I have never annoyed you during battle? I have never called you Bugaboo and m'lady even though you told me to stop? I've never stopped pursuing you even though you said you loved someone else? I've never acted like....like some sort of a harasser?" 

Ladybug wanted to slap him right then and there for how angry she was.  
How could he not see how much she valued him? 

No. This was her fault. She was the one who took him for granted. He would not be feeling this way if it wasn't for her actions. She still felt terrible for how she treated him during his first foray as Mister Bug. 

"You're not a harasser, Chat. Stop calling yourself that." She spoke again when he began to open his mouth. "And yes, you have flirted with me, and called me nicknames and all that but.  
..it wasn't exactly your flirting, it was your timing. And as for the nicknames and the teasing... we're friends, Chat Noir. You probably know more about me than my best friend and my parents. Of course you're free to tease me, and I do it to you too. Where is this coming from?" 

"Well....um, I may have heard some people in my life as a civilian say how Ladybug is always uncomfortable around Chat Noir and that I always seem to make passes at you and make you apologize for things that aren't your fault....and they're not wrong. I've gotten unfairly mad at you twice because you rejected me and don't even get me started on the tantrum I threw when you couldn't tell me about Master Fu-" 

"Oh come on!" Ladybug fumed. She didn't care how, she wanted to track down these idiots who made Chat feel this way and throw them to the surface of the moon. "You had every right to react that way then! You didn't even know Master Fu existed! How else could that have looked? Neither of us were at fault!" 

"You know I almost gave up, don't you?" 

"But you didn't! You didn't even say that you 'forgave' me after I sent Master after you, you THANKED me for keeping my promise!" 

"What about the two times I was cold to you for no reason?" 

She sighed at that. "You... shouldn't have gotten mad, yes, but you didn't even stay mad for long. You apologized, and you took responsibility for it! You didn't let your feelings come in the way of the battle! And.... speaking of apologies...I owe you one for being so short with you when you were Mister Bug. I should have been more patient with you. I should have tried to help you instead of lashing out at you." 

"Hey, it's okay." He said. "If I were you, I'd be mad at me too." 

"Chat..." She groaned. "You're not a burden to me in any way. I wouldn't be able to do ANY of this if it weren't for you and no sentimonster or villain is going to make me think otherwise." 

"Sentimonster?" He asked and Ladybug realised her slip of tongue. 

"Uh...um, I mean, that is to say-"

"What did the sentimonster do to you, Ladybug?" He asked fiercely, and yet, Ladybug could see his hands were shaking with fear.

"He..." She looked away, not being able to meet his eyes. "He cornered me against one of the lockers and....tried to kiss me. I had just fought him off before you had arrived." 

Chat swore. This was just fucking perfect. Even Hawkmoth and Mayura had that opinion of him. 

"Are you okay?" His concerns travelled to her. "He...did he hurt you? God, now I wish I gave him a proper punch before I released the amok." His hands turned into fists. 

"No! He didn't hurt me, I got him before he could. And honestly, if you think I wouldn't have decked you if you tried to harass me, you're dead wrong." 

She clutched his arm. "Chat, you always stop when I tell you to. You have never ever made me feel uncomfortable." 

"That's not what everyone thinks-"

"I don't care about what everyone thinks!" She cried. 

"I don't know what made you feel like you don't measure up to be the partner I deserve, and I don't want to get an answer out of you until you are ready. I'll just say this: I need you Chat Noir. I wouldn't be half the Ladybug I am today if it wasn't for you. I would've quit a long time ago if I didn't have you as my partner. I don't know how you manage to carry all the burdens that weigh me down like they are feathers instead of the rocks they feel like. You are irreplaceable and I'll never even think about trying to find another one like you. Everytime you feel like quitting, remember what I said. Remember that there is still one person who doesn't want Chat Noir, but the boy behind the mask as well. You are more than just my partner, you are more than just my best friend, you are my Chat Noir and I wouldn't want it any other way." 

He finally looked up after her long speech. His heart thumped. He certainly wasn't actively trying to win her affections anymore, but that didn't change the way he reacted around her.

"You... really think so?" He held her arm. 

Ladybug nodded sincerely. "It's like you said. Those visions are nothing but lies. I mean, were dealing with Lila Rossi." He chuckled at that Ladybug's heart soared. "I wouldn't believe them, chaton. You shouldn't, either." 

"Can...can I hug you?" He asked tentatively. 

She opened her arms out to him and he threw himself into them, clutching her like he was a dying man grasping for his final breath.

She hugged him back just as tightly, blinking away her tears into the crook of his neck. 

"Thank you, Ladybug." He said, releasing her but leaving his arm around her shoulders. 

She nodded, smiling at him through unshed tears. 

"What did I say in your vision though?" He sounded genuinely concerned. "I really really hope I didn't hurt you." 

"I...." She knew it would be unfair if she had him spill what happened to him and not do the same with herself.

"I... it's okay if you don't want to." Chat replied, smiling reassuringly. "The last thing I want to do is force you into doing something you don't want to." 

"No, I want to tell you. Besides, if I don't tell you atleast some of it, who can I tell?" 

"I'm listening." He said attentively, his hand rubbing her shoulder blades. 

She nearly sighed at his touch but held herself back. Now was not the time to remind herself that she was too late. 

"Well... first it was people I knew as a civilian....which I could handle, somewhat. But then it was Master Fu, telling me he was disappointed in me, and then Hawkmoth, saying he was coming for the miraculouses and it was my own fault I failed and..." She shuddered. "Then you. Wait, no, not 'you' you, vision you." 

"What did I say?" 

"Well....um...it was more of on your feelings? That you used to have, I mean." She quickly corrected herself, her cheeks turning as red as her costume. She knew perfectly well Chat Noir wasn't pursuing her anymore, he never said it outright, he chose to dance around his words a lot, but she could tell he had someone else in his life. Someone who was not her. 

"Anyway, that Chat Noir said that I was only seeking his attention after he had moved on, and that...I didn't deserve to be in his presence when I obviously took him for granted so much-and it's- I mean he has a point, I was so oblivious I didn't even know you had feelings for me until that day with Glaciator-" 

"Ladybug." He half growled her name. "I would never- you mean everything to me. I don't care if you are just my friend or my partner or even if....you are something more, I would still love you. No matter what. You don't have to apologise for anything." 

'I would still love you.' His words echoed in her head.  
No. Stop having hope. He's a taken man and you're NOT going to be that girl. He deserves better than that. 

"I know that. I've always known that. It's just....I don't want to hurt you, kitty. Everytime I had to reject you, it felt like I was hurting myself." 

His expression changed into something much softer. "I meant what I said. If there's anyone I would trust anything with, it's you." 

She snuggled closer to him, burying her head into his shoulder. 

"Why is this so hard?" 

"What is?" 

"Everything. I'm so scared of failing everyone. I'm scared of failing Paris, I'm scared of failing you." 

"You're not a failure." He insisted. "Not to me." 

Ladybug blinked. Luka was always ready to listen and he was the opposite of pushy, but she never felt inclined to getting around to share how much of the world she was holding on her shoulders. 

With Chat, it was different. She couldn't tell him about an entire half of her life, yet somehow it felt like she was telling him everything, and she could trust him with it. He always understood how she felt. 

"Master and I never got around to finishing my training. I don't even know what half the miraculouses in the box do! What if Hawkmoth finds me? And what if I'm taken down and I have to give up my guardianship and I forget about everything?!" She was bursting like a dam without water.  
She didn't have anymore strength left to cry. 

"I won't let that happen." Chat said fiercely. "In fact, you know what? I'm going to start journaling. I'm going to journal each and every one of our patrols and our battles, starting from the moment you became the guardian. And if you should ever forget who I am, you'll always have those to look back on." 

Her lip quivered. What could she possibly say to something as sweet as that? 

"I... have a diary of my own. I've been writing in it a long time, actually. Even before I became Ladybug. That could be useful to cover the aspects of my life that you couldn't describe." 

His eyes lit up. "Good idea."

"I don't...." Ladybug choked up before she went too far and complicated things even more. "Whoever you're dating? Yeah, she's a lucky girl." 

"Who... I'm dating?" Chat Noir sounded confused. 

"Yeah?" It was Ladybug's turn to be confused now. "Didn't you always talk about this girl you're taking things slow with?" 

"Oh. Her. Yeah...um, we broke up three months ago." He withdrew his hand from around her shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck. 

"You what?!" Ladybug yelled. 

"Hey, look, now all of Paris knows!" He laughed. 

"Sorry. I mean.....how? You seemed really hopeful that things would work out between you two." 

He winced. "We... didn't really work as a couple. I guess both of us were crumbling under the pressure to be a good boyfriend/girlfriend to each other that we forgot about how well we got along as friends." 

"Chat.... I'm so sorry." Ladybug said sincerely. 

"Oh, it's okay. She's still one of my closest friends, so there's no bad blood between us." 

Ladybug smiled weakly. "That's... that's good, then." 

"What about you?" He said, propping a leg up and resting his elbow on it. "Whatever happened to that guy you're dating? You barely talk about him anymore." 

And that was saying something, since Ladybug barely talked about him when they were dating. 

"Lucky coincidence, huh? We barely lasted a week before we broke up." 

"Wait, but I thought you really liked this guy?" 

"Oh, um... it's not him. It's someone else who I was interested in. And don't get me wrong, my ex boyfriend treated me with nothing but respect and kindness, but I felt like...we couldn't even talk to each other about things. Like, say for example, I'm able to talk to you about anything and everything." 

"Uh huh." The back of Chat's real ears turned red. 

"But with him...even though I know he will listen without any strings attached, I don't find myself wanting to talk to him about these things." She sighed. "Ironic. I'm supposed to be lucky but my love life is a mess." 

"I'm really sorry that happened to you. You deserve the best, m'lady." He said absent mindedly. 

Both of them froze. 

"You...you called me m'lady." Ladybug whispered, hardly daring to believe it.  
"I thought you didn't want to do that anymore." Her tone wasn't resentful at all.

"Uh, um, I, that is to say, m'lady, I-" he cleared his throat noisily. "I thought you didn't like me doing that. And calling you Bugaboo for that matter." 

Ladybug turned red and looked away. 

"Wait." Chat's eyes narrowed. He slid a clawed finger under her chin and gently turned her to look at him. 

"I see what this is." He said softly. 

"W-what is it?" Ladybug squeaked like a mouse. 

"You miss it." He said, and for a second Ladybug thought he was serious before his face spread into the widest grin ever. "You ACTUALLY miss me calling you those things! I knew it! I knew they'd grow on you!" 

Ladybug pushed his stupid, smug, cocky face away from her and gave him a deadly glare. 

"Not another word." She threatened. 

"Word." He quipped and Ladybug groaned loudly. 

"Why is this happening to me??? Why did I have to give your already bloated ego another huge boost?" 

To an outsider, her remark may have seemed condescending, but Chat only laughed. He knew when she was joking around with him, and this was one of those times. 

"Bugaboo..." He cooed, poking her shoulder annoyingly. "Bugaboo, Bugaboo, Bugaboo-" 

"Stop calling me-" 

"But when I did, it didn't stop you from missing it, did it m'lady?" He smirked. 

"Okay, fine! You're right! I did miss you calling me m'lady, and even though I never said it that name made me feel unique and special but if I told you, you would hold it over my head for the rest of my life! And 'Bugaboo' is a cheesy, annoying, childish, horribly punned nickname and at one point I HATED you calling me that and I still do, but-" her chest heaved.

Chat was grinning smugly throughout all this, but when she paused, his cocky expression melted away when her annoyed one did.

"-but, I miss it. I still miss it. I miss scolding you to not call me that. I miss you punning in battles. You don't do it as often as you used to do." 

"I thought you disliked them." He said slowly, realising how much he was learning about his lady in one night than he did in the one year he had known her. 

"I did. And I miss disliking them. I miss your stupid jokes. I miss me responding to them. I miss being the Ladybug that I used to be, without the guardianship and extra responsibilities. I miss being the Ladybug that I used to be with you. I miss you, Chat Noir, even though you've been right at my side and always had my back when I needed it." 

Chat swallowed, not knowing what to say.  
But she was right. The last three months they had grown closer, but there was still a huge barrier between them that had been building itself. 

He was being more cautious enough to not upset her.  
And from what she said, she was trying so hard to pretend like nothing had changed between them.

"M'lady, you're still you. I don't see you as anyone any different than the person I met. You let your guard down in front of me only twice, remember?" He didn't realise how easily he had fallen back to his old habit of calling her 'm'lady'.

She nodded. "Yeah." 

"And both times, you still went out there and kicked butt-" 

"WE did." She corrected.

"Fine," he smiled. "We did. We went out there and kicked butt, when you were still feeling overwhelmed and scared. It's not you has changed for the worse, Bugaboo, it's our surroundings." 

"Yeah..." She turned back to look at the moon, shining brightly against the night sky. "It's hard to believe that Master Fu was here and the Miracle box was safer from capture and that Chloe didn't turn out to betray us not three months ago. Everything has changed." 

And a lot for the worse, but a lot more for the good too. 

"I don't want us to change, m'lady." Chat said, looking so intently at her it prompted her to tear her eyes away from the moon. "I know I've been a little distant these past few months, but that was only because I didn't want to lose you by upsetting you. But you should know, I miss us too. I miss when things weren't so bleak and we could enjoy some down time once we finished kicking an akuma's butt." 

Then his voice grew deeper. "But... it's like you said that day in front of Hawkmoth. We are changing the world for better. Through our actions and just not wishing them away like Butterfly Man does." 

Ladybug giggled a little at the nickname before realising something. "Wait, that's almost exactly what I said. I didn't know you were so good at verbatim." 

"It's a gift, Bugaboo." Chat eyed her. "If anything, things are going to get worse." 

"Today was a particularly close call." She agreed. 

"Even if the world changes, I don't want us to change. I don't know what I would do if....you ever hated me. That's what I'm most scared of among other things." He admitted. 

"That's never going to happen, you silly kitty." She retorted.

He smiled. "I know that now."

She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "I've grown up a lot over the past few months and believe me, I am pretty sure I could superhero my way out of things without my powers but now? What I'm most afraid of is ending up alone. And losing all the people I love." 

"That won't happen either." He said. 

"How do you know that? With how unpredictable everything is?" Ladybug asked.

He winked rougishly, squeezing their entwined hands. "My feline instincts. They're legendary, remember?" 

Ladybug laughed. Truly laughed since a long, long time. She would never stop saying his jokes were lame, but she knew she would never not laugh at them either. 

"Looks like the cat is in a better mood." She flicked his bell and he grinned. It gave Ladybug a sense of personal satisfaction that she was the only one he ever allowed to touch his bell. She couldn't get the image of him actually hissing at Chloe when she flicked his bell to get his attention. 

"Thanks to his lady, that is. Don't give me all the credit." He chuckled. 

Blue eyes met green, blazing ones for a long time. The air wasn't wrought with tension of the worried or even the romantic kind. Everything felt peaceful and calm. It felt like being able to take a huge breath of fresh air after being restricted from breathing for a long time. 

"I know you will hold this over my head for a long time..." 

"I don't even know what 'this' is, but I already know I will." He said cheekily. 

She mock glared at him before continuing, "Please don't stop calling me m'lady or even B-" she hesitated.

"Say it. I know you can say it." 

"Bugaboo. I didn't realise just how much those things had grown on me until I didn't get to hear them." 

"Well, if that's what my lady wants, this cat has nothing better to do than oblige." He phrased it like a joke, but he nodded seriously.

For a single moment, Ladybug let herself forget about Lila, about her friends, about her lingering feelings for Adrien, about the Miracle box, about Hawkmoth, about just about everything else except Chat Noir who had been a huge part of her life as a superhero, through all the ups and downs, no matter what. He was the difference between her wins and her losses. There was truly no way she could do this without him.

"You and me against the world?" He lifted up their still joined hands. 

Ladybug smiled, reached up to press a soft kiss against his cheek and laid her head on his shoulder. A soft purr emanated from him as he rest his head on the top of hers. 

"As always, kitty." She replied.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so this is my first fic posted on Ao3! I'm miraculouslycool on Tumblr. Check out my other stories too!


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